Abstract
The National Safety Council (NSC) estimated that over 35,000 people died in U.S. traffic
accidents. About 3.8 million traffic crash injuries requiring medical attention occurred in
2013, and the number of deaths was about the same over the last 5 years. The NSC found
that product recalls, car repairs, injuries, and deaths were due to unsafe product designs
or inferior product quality. These statistics underscore the challenge of producing quality
vehicles while satisfying customers. The purpose of this nonexperimental study was to
examine relationships among product (vehicle) quality, product cost, product safety, and
consumer satisfaction. The hypotheses inquired the extent to which relationships exist
between product quality and customer satisfaction and if product cost and product safety
influence this relationship. The theoretical foundation included theories on product
quality and consumer satisfaction associated with the cost and safety theories such as
product quality and customer satisfaction that are critical factors that can promote
positive social change. Data were collected from a random sample (N = 77) of U.S.
automobile users and analyzed via simple and multiple linear regression, which showed a
significant statistical relationship between product quality and customer satisfaction.
However, neither the product safety nor product cost helped mediate the relationship
between product quality and customer satisfaction. Building high-quality cars leads to
fewer injuries and deaths associated with vehicular accidents, thus promoting positive
social change for both U.S. automobile buyers and sellers.